What is gamification?
What does developing your business with gamification mean? Firstly, it’s good to start with what gamification is. In gamification, game-like elements are added to non-gaming functions. The purpose is therefore not to entertain, but to use so-called gaming thinking to motivate the user, to support learning and problem solving. An important advantage of gamification is the immediate feedback the user receives on their own activities, for example, wellness applications that tell you if you have slept or exercised enough.
When it comes to implementing these solutions, each company knows their own business and customers best. When thinking about gamification, you need to know where you want to engage the customer and what you want to resolve. Admittedly, gamification does not have to be limited to the customer. Employee motivation and commitment can also be increased through gamified experiences. The more motivated the employee, the better service the customer receives.
Gamified application engages
The purpose of gamified application is to motivate the user or customer and get him to return to the service later. The application can take advantage of elements familiar from video games such as scoring or points. You can get points even by registering in the application and, for example, updating your own profile. By collecting points, the app can have a progress bar that, when filled, gives the customer or user virtual coins. These virtual coins can then be used to shop at the actual store or company.
In some games, competition against other players is a key feature. In this case, a scoreboard measuring progress can be built into the application, which is used to compare users with each other. This creates competition between users, which increases loyalty to the application. By collecting points and accumulating progress, the customer or user can earn virtual badges or medals. Badges of Merit are also used in the world of entertainment games, which are a sign of crossing or achieving a certain stage or milestone. The use of merit tokens increases the user’s loyalty to the application.
Serious games aiding teaching and training
Serious games are meant to be not only entertaining but also educational, although in a fun way. Serious games are used in many different fields, for example in teaching, they help students to focus on teaching in engaging ways. Games can be used to learn new languages or even develop math skills.
Serious games and gamification have many different benefits. Brain games are games that are made to help with cognitive development. Brain games consist of various problems and puzzles that the player must solve. It has also been studied that students remain focused for longer when serious games are used in teaching. Immersion in games also added positive feelings.
If you have any questions about gamification, we will be happy to tell you more. Contact Jonna 050 307 6756 or Merih 044 751 0096. The MeKiwi team will be happy to plan with you how to make your digital solutions more engaging and motivating through gamification! Call us and we will tell you how we can help.
Our account manager Jonna Ranta acted as an expert in an article published by Bonnier Pro, which dealt with increasing customer commitment and loyalty through gamification. Here you can find the attached article which is in finnish only.
Bonnier_Pro_ASI_1-2020
SOURCES
Kortela, A. 2020. Asiakkaiden sitoutumisen ja lojaalisuuden kasvattaminen pelillistämällä. Viitattu 7.9.2020.
Deese, A. 2020. 5 Benefits of Gamification. Viitattu 4.9.2020, https://ssec.si.edu/stemvisions-blog/5-benefits-gamification
Grendel Games 2020. What are serious games. Viitattu 4.9.2020, https://grendelgames.com/what-are-serious-games/
Kitola, M. 2013. Pelillistäminen ja mobiilisovellukset. Viitattu 7.9.2020, https://jyx.jyu.fi/bitstream/handle/123456789/42915/1/Mikael%20Kitola.pdf